Son of the death god
by Phoenix Lee Evyns
Summary: Naru/GW - Shinigami steps in and takes Yondaime's Legacy away when things turn ugly for the babe. Duo gets the task of raising Naruto with help from friends, the Shinobi lands won't know what hit them when Naruto returns! Brace yourself,GW shinobi-style!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, I do not and never will own Naruto or Gundam Wing…the ownership belongs to the creators of these animes. I am just a fan of the shows and some of the characters, I do however own my own characters and creations so please ask if you want to use them.

**Son of the Death god**

Prologue

By

Phoenix Firestorm

Sandaime Sarutobi sighed as he listened to the council argue and fight among themselves to decide what should be done with the Yondaime's Legacy, he smiled faintly as he gazed down at the babe in his arms. The elderly man had no idea how the child did it, but little Naruto is sleeping through everything.

Finally he had enough and unleashed enough killing intent at everyone, except Naruto who still hadn't stirred, to silence a rampaging herd of bulls. Once the room was quiet, Sandaime cleared his throat and said quite bluntly "I have heard enough of this senseless bickering over my successors last wishes, but we still need to decide what should happen to little Naruto. So I am going to do this simply, I will ask some questions and you will either raise your hand…yes or no…clear?"

Everyone nodded once to show they understood, even if they didn't exactly like it. They really had no choice, especially with the Fire Lord here to oversee things. He had come to the village to see how bad the damages were and offer what aide he could, plus he too wanted to make sure the wishes of the Yondaime were carried out properly. Having grown to like the young man a lot since he became a ninja under his employment through the Hokage, this friendship grew as the Fire Lord watched Minato grow into the young man he showed everyone that he could be.

The Fire Lord was also one of the very few privileged to attend the secret wedding of Minato and his girlfriend Kushina, the others were the Sandaime himself and his two former students Jiraiya and Tsunade. Minato two surviving students were also in attendants, Rin as a part of Kushina's group and Kakashi as part of Minato's group. The Fire Lord was also another one who knew of Kushina's pregnancy and honored to be chosen as guardien of the child, on the chance that something happens to either Jiraiya or Tsunade or any of the others on the list.

"Now, who wants to see Naruto adopted into a good home?" Sandaime asked sternly only to sigh at the number of hands that rose, one eyebrow did raise some when the Fire Lord's arm went up as well. The elderly man knew of the friendship between his deceased successor and the leader of Fire Country, approving of it immensely.

"Who wants to see Naruto dealt with in some other way not pertaining to the Yondaime's wishes?" Sandaime asked only to wince slightly at the number of hands that shot up. The Fire Lord scowled as well, not liking what was happening to his friends Legacy….not one bit.

He suddenly spoke up "I am curious to know why everyone thinks that way, enough to hear your opinion before the final decision is made. Now you will each tell me what you think, then we will move on to the next person. I want your honest opinion, not what you believe or have been told of by others. Many of you hear know Minato quite well and are knowledgeable of his skills, so you know just what he is capable of and can do once he has set his mind to the task."

The council members thought about it and then agreed, so the Fire Lord started…beginning with the clan heads and moving on until everyone had spoken.

Those who wanted to honor Yondaime's last request and wish for his legacy:

Fire Lord

Clan Sarutobi

Clan Senju - Tsunade's family

Clan Nobuyuki - Jiraiya's family

Clan Namikaze - Minato's family…empty until Naruto comes of age to take the seat on the council.

Clan Uzumaki - Kushina's family…empty until Naruto comes of age to take the seat on the council.

Clan Hyuugi

Clan Aburame

Clan Akimichi

Clan Hatake

Clan Inuzuka

Clan Maito

Clan Nara

Clan Yamanaka

Clan Mitarashi

Clan Uchechi - an offshoot of the Uchiha Clan that broke away from the main clan because of a disagreement generations ago.

Clan Yuuhi

Those who prefer to ignore the Yondaime's last request and wish for his legacy:

Danzou

Clan Uchiha

Clan Haruno

Clan Utatane - Koharu's family

Clan Mitokado - Homura's family

Numerous other civilian clans and etc.

The Fire Lord frowned at the answers he got, while not all the clans wanted to do something other than what the Yondaime wanted. The number was still a disappointment, not counting himself…only 14 clans out of the 100 or so clans wanted to do as the Yondaime wanted. The rest of the clans and civilians had a variety of suggestions that ran from outright killing the child to banishing the child to locking the child up and throwing away the key to turning Naruto into a living weapon. It was the last one that disgusted the Fire Lord so much, sure Naruto would be helpful if trained properly but nothing is worth the cost of your humanity and free will.

"We happen to agree with you Daimyo, Sandaime." A deep ominous voice filled the room and startled everyone enough that they jumped a foot in the air, the council looked to see who it was but couldn't see anyone.

Minor chaos occurred when Shinigami appeared in the middle of the room, only to freeze into dead silence seconds later.

The Shinigami raised one hand slightly and loudly snapped his fingers, causing Naruto to disappear from Sandaime's arms and reappear in his arms. The baby didn't feel a thing and continued to sleep on.

"Instead of leaving like I normally would to continue on with the soul collection, I decided to stay long enough and see what would happen with the Hero of Konoha and Yondaime's Legacy? Needless to say, I am **NOT IMPRESSED** by what I just witnessed!"

"In fact, I am very close to breaking my sole rule and taking all your souls before it is time!"

Now this shocked and terrified the group, so much that they were frantically trying to think of a way…any way out of this mess.

"Except I won't," Shinigami replied and reassured everyone only to have them nearly knock themselves out when their heads collided with the table when they heard what he said next, "except I won't as that would cause too much paperwork and then I would have to explain things to Kami…not something I really want to do anytime soon. So instead of that, I will take the Legacy and give the child to one of my loyal followers to raise as his son."

Now many were shocked, surprised and stunned speechless at this. While others were terrified and worried, this was something totally unheard of as there had been no word about a cult that worshiped the Shinigami.

Neither did they have a chance to say anything as the Shinigami faded away, taking Naruto with it. Nor did they speak again for several moments, shifting in their seats uneasily.

"Oh," The Shinigami's voice reached them suddenly, "congratulations are in order. Your Yondaime heard everything as he wanted to be sure his last request was carried out, he is not very impressed with what all of you wanted to do to his son!!!" Those that wanted to do anything with Naruto except follow Yondaime's request, all paled at those words, swallowing several times with the thought of 'Oh shit! We are soooo screwed!'

While those who wanted to do as Yondaime wished, at least to the best of their abilities, had paled as well because no one had known Yondaime had any children…much less even married!!! They did manage to pull themselves together and looked amused by the other members discomfort, many had slight

Smirks on their faces.

"Hope you enjoy what is left of your lives because Yondaime will be waiting for you when your time comes," Shinigami continued, "I was so impressed with him that I made him my new punisher so he is busy creating rather nasty and inventive punishments for each of you!" Now this caused many on the opposite side to faint, dirty their pants and various other things. While Sarutobi, the Fire Lord and others were looking rather pleased with the young man's new position. Sarutobi also knew from the quick glance at Jiraiya that his former student is so pleased with his student that he may be next-to-impossible to live with for the next few years.

After that, there wasn't much left to discuss. Nor were they in any condition to do much more except weakly make their way back home. The one thing that they did agree on is not one word of what happened at the meeting is to be breathed to anyone not a member of the current council, Sandaime went so far as to make it a triple S-class secret and punishable by death! Something that no one wanted to risk any time soon, they had no intention of facing the fourth Hokage and going through whatever he had planned for them.

Once that was done and over with, Sarutobi and the Fire Lord went back to his office to discuss things further. Stopping just inside the door when they saw the Shinigami standing there patiently, they knew that the otherworldly spirit must have something to tell them so they entered the room and shut the door behind them.

Shinigami made sure that nothing could be heard by those outside of this room, then turned to Sandaime and said "I left Naruto to spend time with his parents before he goes to his new family, I needed to give you some more information."

He paused long enough to give Sandaime a black folder, then continued "This is a folder of information on my follower who will be Naruto's new family, it is only the basics as much of his life is need-to-know only. I also wanted to let you both know that Naruto will be returning, most likely with his new family, for your genin exam." "Naruto may want to stay in his new home, but he was born here so has to return for a certain length of time before he makes his final decision on where to call home. Also do not be concerned about his education, both normal and shinobi, as that will be overseen by his new family."

"I will be giving him a copy of my impressive library which has an extensive section on Shinobi's, jutsu's and etc. Of course, he will only have access to certain parts once his parents believe he is ready for it."

"Also, if his new parents permit it, he may be allowed to send letters to the persons who would have been his 'grandfather figure' and 'father figure' had I not stepped in when I did. Naruto's new parents may also want to discuss certain things with you as well, so be prepared for a lot of questions." The Fire Lord replied curiously "Thank-you for whatever assistance you could give to the situation, but I am curious as to what should we do with his parents possessions? Young Naruto inherits everything that belong to them once he comes of age, including property?"

"Gather everything up and seal it away until the child reaches maturity, then it can be given to him. I will ensure no one tries to enter the various properties his parents own," Shinigami replied calmly, "you may also look after any business dealings his parents might have had. I believe that Naruto's new parents will most likely want a monthly report on that part, this way they will know what is going on and can make changes if necessary." "I will assign several of my ravens to be messengers between the two of you, this will make things easier and allow no interferences. Not many are willing to disrupt death at its work, whether it is my assistants or not." Sandaime and the Fire Lord nodded then glanced at each other, knowing full well that they will be busy for the next several hours if not days.

While they were busy with their tasks, the Shinigami left to look after the Yondaime's properties and gather up a few things. Mostly a few photos of Yondaime and his wife, his team and friends. He also collected up most of the stuff in the nursery, but left the furniture where it was until later on.

When Shinigami had finished, he reappeared in the office again. Not too surprised to see the Sandaime and the Fire Lord put the final touches on their individual letters, each had written two letters. One was for Naruto once he got old enough and the other was to the childs new parents, explaining things and making the attempt to get the jump on whatever questions they may have.

Also ready and waiting was a detailed portfolio on Yondaime's business deals, finances and etc. The Shinigami gathered up the portfolio and tucked it away in his robes, then took the letters once the Daimyo and Sandaime were done. The three people knew that there wasn't much more they could do here, so decided to go their separate ways. Shinigami left to return to his realm, but the Daimyo didn't leave until much later.

Instead both men wanted to check out the folder on Naruto's new father, at least this way they would get a feel for what the young man is like. So Sarutobi reached over, pulled the black folder toward him and opened it. The first thing they saw was a large glossy photo of a young man with long chestnut brown hair pulled back into a braid, sparkling cobalt blue eyes and a wide mischievous smile that warned you to be careful around him or you will be in for a world of embarrassment.

They put the photo aside to study later, wanting to learn more about this person. Underneath the photo was a profile on the young man, the file didn't say much but it did tell them some about what to expect in the future.

"Name: Duo Anthony Maxwell

Age: 25

Date of birth:

Residence: Maxwell Recycling, L2 Colony

Parents: Samael Espiridion Khthonios- deceased

Morana Helmi Vartiter - deceased

Foster Parents: Sister Helen and Father Maxwell of Maxwell Orphanage, deceased

Siblings: n/a

Foster Siblings: Heero Yuy

Trowa Barton

Wufei Chang

Quatra Raberba Winner"

The Fire Lord paused after reading those names and said "Two of those names aren't familiar to me, which means that they are foreign. The other two are somewhat familiar, Chang is Chinese for 'smooth' but the name 'Wufei' is unusual as 'Wu' means '5'. Not to mention that I've heard of the Chang Clan, I'm unsure of this Wufei is a relative or not. The Changs are powerful warriors, swordsmen and martial artists. Even the woman but they learn fighting styles more suited to their body-type, the children start almost as soon as they can walk."

"They are also extremely honorable and live their lives according to their beliefs, not to mention their intelligence. I've been told or rather warned not to get into an argument with a Chang if I ever do meet one, they'll talk circles around me and not think anything of it. I was also warned not to in any circumstances mention the word 'justice' or the worse thing imaginable will happen, the Chang will begin the infamous 'Justice Rant'! Apparently that clan are very firm believers in justice in all its forms, they will go to great lengths to ensure it is carried out."

Sarutobi chuckled "The clan sounds very interesting, life will never be dull with them around."

"Agreed, my friend." The Fire Lord replied before they turned their attention back to the folder they were reading.

"Wife: Hilde Angelika Schbeiker

Age: 26

Date of Birth:

Residence: Maxwell Recycling, L2 Colony

Parents: Christoph Alexander Schbeiker - deceased

Annaleisa Hannelore Schbeiker -deceased

Siblings: n/a

Children: Helen Rosalba Elizabeth - age 5

Solomon 'Solo' Roi Alexander - age 3"

There wasn't much more after that, just a brief background outline which said that Duo and his brothers were all retired soldiers for the most part. Some, like Wufei, continued to work as a soldier of peace and prevent another war from breaking out. The two leaders sighed and glanced at each other thoughtfully, it wasn't much but they at least had some idea of what to expect over the years…hopefully.

~*~

"**Cannonball!" **Duo yelled as he charged toward the pool and jumped into the air, tucking his legs tight against his upper body to form a ball. Ignoring all the cries from his friends as he hit the water, creating a huge splash.

He burst into laughter once he surfaced and saw the looks on their faces, Heero had a resigned expression that was much better than what he normally had. Quatre was laughing as he managed to avoid most of it, unfortunately Wufei didn't and got soaked. Trowa was already wet as he had been swimming laps under the surface, coming up for air not long after Duo did.

Of the girls, only Kathy got spared as she relaxed on one of the deck loungers. The others, Relena….who managed to get a week off from her busy schedule for a short vacation, Sally and Hilde were in the shallow 'kiddie pool' playing with the children. Duo and Hilde's 2 scamps, Helen and Solo along with Wufei's little warrior princess Meilan. Her baby brother Nataku was beside Kathy in a carrier, safely out of the sun's rays.

Wufei being a father was a little unusual as he and Sally weren't married yet, just engaged. Meilan and Nataku are the results of an artificial womb, somehow the elders of Wufei's clan managed to move the clan bank to a safer location but didn't get a chance to tell anyone before everything went to hell in a hand basket. So it wasn't until Quatre went through all the old data files that Instructor H left behind that mention of it was found, nor did Quatre want to get his friends hopes up so kept quiet until he could validate it's existence.

Once he did, Quatre met with Wufei and told him everything.. Wufei wasn't long in deciding what to do either, he immediately took an extended leave of absence from work with the only excuse being that it was clan related business.

They had a little difficulty getting to the banks location as the elders planned it so that only Wufei could gain access to it…if he was still alive of course. The security of the actual bank was set up so only a clan member could get in and since Wufei is the only one left, there was almost nothing to worry about.

It was what Wufei found inside that shook him up the most, his deceased wife Meilan had several vials of eggs stored there. Wufei knew that he had several vials of sperm stored as well, but that didn't concern him. It was the fact that he could finally have another piece of Meilan in his life, besides the memories and the miniature model of his gundam that Quatre surprised him with. Each of the pilots got one on the 10th anniversary of the wars end, it wasn't necessary but they appreciated it just the same.

This is what Wufei and Quatre have been busy doing the past several months, Relena also got involved once she found out and allowed Wufei to set the reborn clan up as citizens of Mars once they were old enough to survive the trip. Zechs and Noin willingly agreed to foster any children Wufei sent to the colony, but only in small groups. Wufei didn't have any problems with that as he wanted to take things slow, not rushing the rebuilding of his and the other clans. In fact, Wufei was thinking of calling this rebirth 'the Phoenix Clan' after the legendary bird of fire but wasn't completely sure as of yet.

Either way, Wufei had his children and Sally once they married. Duo had heard rumors that Quatre was dating Dorothy but the couldn't be completely sure, Trowa hadn't found a girlfriend yet either but was still a performer in the circus with his sister. As for Heero, Duo snorted as he swam over to the side of the pool and started to climb out. He honestly wondered if his friend would ever get a life outside of whatever job Heero is doing at that time, the only girl Duo knew of to be interested in Heero is Relena.

Which made him uneasy as the Sanc Princess/Vic-Foreign Minister is a very high-profile person, Duo wasn't sure if that kind of in-the-spotlight-life would suit his friend. The braided destroyer shrugged his shoulders, knowing that there wasn't much he could do for Heero except stand by his side like they did during the wars. The other good thing about the Chang Bank is that Wufei and his fellow pilots could store their own samples there, knowing that they would be safe and their bloodlines won't die out.

So Wufei, Quatre, Heero, Trowa and his sister Kathy, Duo and Hilde, Milliardo/Zechs and Noin, Relena and surprisingly Lady Une all kept DNA samples there. Lady Une even went so far as to move the samples of Treize that remained into the Chang Bank….with Wufei's permission of course. Treize's only child also received permission to keep her own samples there, which is a good idea since Mariemeia is the last Barton/Khushrenada left.

Duo grabbed a towel and started to dry off a little, heading over to the kiddie pool to play with his kids until it was time to go inside. Everyone was glad to see each other and hang out, having made plans to get together once or twice a year and just have a vacation of sorts. It wasn't that they never saw each other the rest of the year, they just never had time to do much once business was dealt with.

A spray of water suddenly struck Duo in the face, shocking him out of his thoughts. He looked around crossly only to glare at his daughter when he heard her laughing, Helen grinned at her dad and squirted water at him again only to miss Duo by an inch as he ducked out of the way.

"Oh that's it, this means war you little minx!" Duo exclaimed with a grin, tossing his towel to one side.

Helen or 'len among her friends shrieked with laughter and turned to run, but didn't get far before being snatched up by her father. Hilde laughed as well as she watched Duo tickle their daughter senseless, Solo giggling from where he sat between his mothers legs.

Duo would have gotten away with it too had not help come in the form of Helen's best friend, another spray of water struck Duo in the face and nearly made him drop Helen but he managed to keep ahold of her. The two looked to see who did that only to be shocked by another spray of water, they did see who did it and Helen burst into laughter at Meilan armed with the most advanced water gun there is.

A wicked grin on her face that would have done Wufei and her mother proud, Meilan took aim again and pulled the trigger. Wufei snorted and looked rather smug as his daughter showed her braided baka of an uncle just who is boss. Heero smirked at his former partner then rolled his eyes, not bothering to rescue him.

Eventually Duo had no choice except put Helen down, but even then he didn't get much chance to retaliate. The moment Helen was free, she darted over and grabbed the other water gun her best friend had ready then turned around to let Duo have it. This also gave Meilan a chance to reload on water while her best friend kept Duo occupied, then she rejoined Helen in target practice.

Things only got worse when one of the blasts missed and got Kathy soaked, making her shriek at the sudden coldness of the water. Thankfully, the water missed Nataku who slept on undisturbed.

Trowa's sister glared at the girls before she got up and went to join the water fight. Meilan and Helen's eyes widened when Aunt Kathy joined Duo, then grinned in excitement at the challenge.

Everyone else just observed from the sidelines and cheered, but it soon came time to go in as it was getting late. So the kids were dried off then wrapped up snugly in towels before being ushered into the house, up the stairs to their rooms to change for supper. The parents and adults followed them moments later, heading for their suites to change into dry clothes as well. Something that didn't take them very long, most went back downstairs to the game room and relaxed before supper.

Duo and Hilde went to look after their kids, Hilde took care of Helen while Duo looked after Solo. The same with Wufei and Sally, Wufei checked on his son while Sally went to help Meilan. Hilde had surprised everyone the other day with the news of more additions to the family, poor Duo was shocked and stunned speechless by the announcement before he fainted. Thankfully it didn't last long and Duo was back on his feet moments later, half his normal self and half panicking over Hilde.

Neither one knew what they were having as it was too soon to tell yet, nor were they in any hurry to find out either. All they were concerned about is the health of mother and child, both of whom are doing well. Nor were Helen and Solo too upset about the addition to their family, at most both kids were curious and somewhat excited.

Once the children were taken care of and left in the watchful care of the capable nannies Quatre hired for the duration of the vacation, both couples headed down to join their friends in the game room. Duo chuckled when he saw Heero, Trowa and Quatre playing pool. Wufei snorted at how badly the blond Arabian is doing, both he and Duo went over to join the game. They did glance over to see what the girls were doing and winced when they saw them at the dartboard, Kathy was dominating the game of course so that didn't surprise them. It was what Kathy and the others were doing that worried them, Kathy and the other girls were teaching Relena how to throw the darts….knife style!

"I take it that Relena has some issues to work out of her system," Duo drawled, "just going by how hard she is throwing those darts. Who do you think she has pictured in her head as the target?"

Heero didn't answer but you could tell by the wary glances he shot at her that he sincerely hoped it wasn't him, Duo and Wufei picked out their pool cues then powdered the tips before rejoining the other guys.

"Hard to say Duo," Quatre chuckled, "it could be someone close to her or someone in political circles. Goodness knows there are enough idiots in government that seem to be undoing everything we do, just by the number of times they open their mouths and unknowingly stick either 1 or both feet into it."

Duo and Wufei waited until a new game started then teamed up with someone in the group. Duo of course, teamed up with Heero. Wufei teamed up with Trowa as Quatre decided to take a break and sit this game out, becoming the spare should someone have to leave for some reason or another.

"How are things going for each of you? I have a rough idea on what everyone has been up to, but time and 'some' people aren't being very cooperative when it comes to keeping in touch?" Quatre asked with a hint of his 'zero' side coming out as he glared at Heero.

Heero looked at the former leader of their merry band a little uneasily, wondering if he should hit the floor or not to avoid any incoming objects thrown at him. The other guys watched in amusement, smirking as Heero slowly got uncomfortable.

"Not much is going on with the scrap yard," Duo took pity on his partner and broke the ice as he got ready to shoot, "business has been steady over the years which is great. Not crazily busy so we can still spend a decent amount of time with the kids, which is always great since I am enjoying everything that goes into being a parent and having a family. Hilde seems to get frustrated at times but that could be because she has experienced the whole family and parents thing before, all I have to go by is my time with the orphanage and the gang. Solo, Father Maxwell and Sister Helen were the only role models I had. Howard joined that select number once we meet and I got to know him, although he's more like a crazy grandfather than uncle or father-figure."

"Hilde and I close the scrap yard or leave it in the capable hands of one of the sweepers who hired on to help out whenever we want to have a 'family day', which only happens when Trowa and the circus are in town. The kids love going to see Uncle Trowa and Aunt Kathy at the circus, Helen gets a kick out of watching Kathy throw knives at Trowa….not too sure what Solo likes yet though." "Whenever one of you guys or the girls are in town, it's time for another family outing day. So far only Quatre, Trowa and Kathy are somewhat regulars. Relena tries to leave an hour or so free so she can visit whenever she is on L2, it doesn't always happen but she tries." Trowa spoke up as he studied the balls on the pool table thoughtfully "Kathy and I are kept pretty busy with the circus, especially since the manager retired and we bought the circus from him. Being co-owners and sharing the workload helps a lot, I take care of the animals and equipment while Kathy looks after everything else."

"We didn't change much about the circus, just a few things like totally update the equipment and add a few new acts. I help out where I can and try to leave things set up for Kathy whenever I am called away, it's not oven but it does happen. Lady Une agreed to that condition when I joined the Preventers part-time, I was only to be called in when my skills were truly needed…..no sooner. The circus is my life now, not the Preventers or being a soldier."

The others all agreed, their lives as soldiers and fighting were over. It wasn't that they refuse to fight, they just preferred to be the absolute last resort to any situation. Wufei is the only one who was a full-time Preventor Agent, the others were part-time agents. Although they did keep their senses open for trouble and passed on anything they found that was of some importance. Quatre was more active in keeping the peace and moved in some of the same circles as Relena, often getting together to talk things over.

Heero finally spoke "Haven't been doing much, moving from job-to-job mostly. Sometimes up in the colonies, sometimes down here on Earth. Don't have the urge to settle down in any one place longer than a year, habits are hard to break but I'm slowly loosing the mold I was made into."

"Good to hear," Quatre exclaimed happily, "I'm glad that you are moving out of 'Perfect Soldier' mode and putting him to sleep until the next time he is needed. I hope we never do but the future isn't something we can predict, the most we can do is try and be prepared for whatever happens."

"Duo and Trowa send whatever bits'n'pieces of information they sniff out in their daily lives to either me or Wufei, depending on how serious the information is. I usually pass it on to Lady Une, but not always. Wufei is the one who mostly likely gets it, whatever happens to it then I don't know."

"Most times I investigate how useful whatever you guys send me is, then pass it to whichever department is handling that case or situation. A lot of the time, the stuff you all manage to dig up is missing pieces to certain puzzles we have going. A lot of it is reasonably harmless, but deserves a watchful eye kept on it just on the chance something causes it to be flagged as a 'red or yellow alert'." Wufei explained gruffly.

The others nodded in agreement before they focused their attention back on the game. Conversation changing subjects or stopping altogether, most times it was just 5 guys having fun and relaxing.

~*~

Hilde chuckled when she saw what Kathy and Relena were doing, wincing in sympathy of the person Relena was mad at now. These vacations did the girl good, it's just too bad that Relena couldn't take time off more often. She knew that Lady Une and Dorothy both kept an eye on Relena, managing her schedule and making sure she didn't take on too much.

"The kids happily playing under the nannies watchful eyes?" Kathy paused long enough to ask curiously.

"Yes, Helen and Meilan are in Helen's room while the boys were put down for a short nap." Sally answered for Hilde.

"I'm glad," Kathy chuckled, "the girls certainly had fun in that water fight against Duo and myself."

"True, they did and it was funny to watch as well. So what has everyone been up to since we last got together, I know some but news from Earth is slow getting to L2 colony. Although things have been getting better thanks to the combined efforts of Relena and Quatre, all the colonies have been improving over the years." Hilde asked as she and Sally joined the girls.

"Not much on my end that isn't already known," Relena sighed somewhat in disgust, "Ann and Dorothy make sure I get at least an hour each day just to relax. During that hour, nothing work related is allowed near me. I spend it either dealing with personal correspondence, getting some fresh air outside if the weather allows it. Although I can't help but be amused by the terror Dorothy puts everyone through if they try to get to me without an appointment, Ann has even said that Dorothy has Colonel Une beat when it comes to terror and intimidation."

The girls snorted with laughter at that, especially Hilde and Sally who have experienced the notorious Colonel Une before. Relena sat down to take a break, letting one of the other girls at the dartboard. As much as she enjoyed her work, Relena was glad for every chance she got to just kick back and relax with the girls.

"Any news from Milliardo and Lucreezia?" Sally asked curiously.

"Yes 'lena, what's going on with the Mars Colony Project. How is your brother and Noin?" Kathy spoke up from where she stood.

Relena chuckled "Better than everyone expected, Milliardo is actually enjoying himself and throwing everything he has into the colony. I get the usual report once a month or so on the technical aspects of the colony, so we know how well the colony is doing. Heero surprised both Milliardo and I by setting up a secure communication channel that no one can break through, for us to use. So I get a call from either my brother or Noin once a week, I am slowly getting to know my big brother again." "Although Noin has told me that Milliardo has had to go 'Zechs' on a few people who were doing something that either endangered the colony as a whole or just the people, Milliardo doesn't tolerate foolishness…especially when it can very well endanger lives. Neither did Noin in the time we were together, not only did she become my friend but she was also like the sister I never had."

"After this vacation, I'll be heading to Mars Colony to visit Milliardo and Noin. Also to do an inspection on the facility, the colonists don't know that though. All they know is that I am making a short side-trip to visit my brother…nothing more…nothing less. Ann would have liked to go with me but things at Preventer Headquarters won't let her, so it will be just Dorothy and I."

"Not really Relena," Sally spoke up, "Ann assigned Wufei and I to be your escorts while there plus to assist in the inspection. Wufei grew up in a colony so knows better what is needed to survive, you don't although she said that you are getting better."

Relena frowned at that then sighed "True, there is that…a spacer would have a better idea in what to look for than an earthier. I would have preferred Duo instead of Wufei though, mostly because of their backgrounds. Duo is a former street brat, so would know the inner workings of a colony better than Wufei. I have nothing against your partner Sally, but Wufei is like a noblemen and I highly doubt he was ever allowed to get his hands dirty before operation meteor began. Other than his combat training that is, I figure learning to fight and martial arts are an important part of his culture."

Sally chuckled "None taken Relena, we all have our faults and work to either improve upon them or at least acknowledge that they exist."

The girls continued their conversations, switching subjects whenever needed. The boys kept playing pool, not caring who won or lost. The only time they stopped was when the servants came to inform them that supper is now ready, so the group left the game room and headed for the dining room. Some continuing conversations while others remain silent and just enjoyed being with close friends again, the children were already at the table and waiting for everyone to arrive.

"Smells good Quatre," Duo complemented his friend, "pass the word on to your chef please!"

"I'll make sure to do so Duo," Quatre chuckled, "now shall we get to our seats and dig in. I know the children look eager to enjoy the food, even if the end result will be a big mess."

"Uncle Quatre, we don't make messes!" Helen retorted.

"Yes Uncle Quatre, babies make messes and we aren't babies!!! "Meilan commented sharply.

The adults burst into laughter, settling down after a few moments to turn their attention to supper.

~*~

Duo finished Helen's bedtime story and proceeded to tuck his little girl into bed, he chuckled softly as Helen snuggled down under the thick covers with one arm wrapped tightly around her Deathscythe stuffy.

"Good-night my little Shinimegami (goddess of death), sweet dreams!" Duo murmured softly as he headed for the door, turning out the light as he left the room.

"Good-night Daddy Shinigami." Helen answered sleepily as she stifled a yawn that refused to wait any longer.

Duo smiled faintly as he left Helen's bedroom, pausing at the nursery to peek in on Solo before continuing on to his own room. Entering it to see Hilde coming out of the bathroom, nightshirt brushing against her thighs as she moves.

"Helen tucked into bed and off to dreamland, honey?" She asked as she climbed into bed.

"Yeah, I read her a bedtime story. Finished the current book we have started," Duo answered as he started to remove his own clothes, "not sure what we're going to do once that series of books is done. There aren't many books out there that will interest Helen enough to bother with."

"True," Hilde chuckled, "maybe Quatre will have some ideas. If not then we'll just have to find something else to interest her….other than practice knife-throwing." Duo's muffled snickers came through the fabric of his shirt "Helen certainly knows what she likes and that is sharp, pointy things. Although I have to be impressed by her skills so far and the determination Helen has toward knife-throwing, even Kathy is pleased by her students progress whenever they visit."

Hilde snorted "Duo, love….Helen's love of sharp pointy things is preferable over your love of things that go BOOM!"

Duo just scowled at her once he got his t-shirt off then said "Ha-ha Hild, just you wait….one of our kids is bound to inherit my love of explosives…the bigger the better!"

Hilde rolled her eyes at her fun-loving, explosive-junky, prankster of a husband. Duo grinned as he headed into the bathroom to get ready for bed himself, not that he had a lot to do anyway since he didn't have to take a shower. The only thing that took him time is his waist length hair, Duo had gotten use to brushing it morning and night since the wars end.

Duo came out of the bathroom an hour later, hair brushed and freshly rebraided. Wearing only a pair of pajama bottoms, he seldom wore the tops so often left it in the dresser. The former soldier moved around the bed to the other side and climbed under the covers, snuggling up to Hilde with one hand laying flat over the slight swell showing.

"So how is our little one doing?" Duo asked with a bit of fatherly pride, knowing full well that it was too soon for their child to give any kind of response yet.

Hilde rested her head against his shoulder and listened to him sleepily, Duo always did this every morning and evening. It had become a ritual that began with each child after that, something that Hilde would miss once they had the 4 children they agreed upon back when they had gotten engaged.

Duo may have wanted a large family because of his being an orphan, but she didn't so they compromised with 4 children. Giving them 2 boys and 2 girls, if Duo still wanted more kids after that then he would have to go via test tube children. At least that is Hilde's verdict now, everything depended on what condition her body was in after this pregnancy whether she could carry more babies or not.

Eventually Duo finished his nightly chat with their unborn child and turned his attention to Hilde, reaching over to turn out the lamp before they began their own version of fun. Which wasn't much since Duo didn't want to risk harming the baby, most times they just cuddled until both drifted off to sleep.

~Dreamscape~

Duo blinked several times as he adjusted to the fact that his dream got rerouted to this place, although he really shouldn't be surprised as this isn't his first time here. The young man looked around the black and white stone room, cold mist lazily floating around him.

"Duo, what is going on? Where are we?" Hilde's voice reached him, causing Duo to spin around and look at her in surprise.

"Hilde, what are you doing here??" Duo exclaimed in shock, this is the first time anyone other than himself has been here…to his knowledge that is.

"I don't know, last thing I remember is falling asleep next to you in bed!" Hilde answered as she took the last few steps needed to reach her husband.

Duo put an arm around her to reassure Hilde that everything will be okay, he sighed and wondered why she was brought here to begin with. Hilde isn't a follower of Shinigami, he wasn't sure who his wife believed in. Religion wasn't discussed much in their family, which Duo knew won't please Sister Helen and Father Maxwell.

"Duo, is that you?" came another familiar voice and the couple glanced over to see others they knew come out of the mist.

Duo was really disturbed now as Quatre and Dorothy, Heero and Relena, Wufei and Sally, Trowa and his sister Kathy, Milliardo and Lu with Lade Une and Mariemaia being the last ones to appear.

"Alright, now I am officially confused. I have no idea what is going on or why all of you were brought here, normally I'm the only one to appear here when Shinigami needs to discuss something with me!" Duo drawled sarcastically.

"What are you talking about baka?!" Wufei snapped out in annoyance.

"Shinigami…..?" Trowa asked curiously.

Heero was the only one who looked uneasy, as if he recognized the place and really didn't want to be here! Relena stood next to him, looking uneasy as well.

Duo sighed tiredly then began to explain "Yes, Shinigami….did you honestly think the god of death didn't exist Wufei? Even Heero knows this and I suspect he knows where we are too, judging by how it looks like he is going to pull out his gun any second now and start shooting."

The others glanced at the Perfect Soldier and saw that Duo was right, Heero is acting very trigger-fingerish which made them wary.

"As for where we are," Duo continued, "this is the called the Hall of Death. It is the first place souls appear in when their mortal life ends, at least from what I've been able to figure out each time I appear in this place. Thankfully I've never really spoken to any souls, although I do get glimpses of them whenever the mist fades in places."

"I believe you Duo, my space heart is reacting to this place. We aren't dead," Quatre spoke up, "this is most likely a visitation in our dreams or something along those lines. I've heard of times in the past when people would be visited by certain beings while asleep, sometimes the visitations would even occur while awake but most happen as the body rests."

No one had a chance to say anything more as the mist got their attention when it pulled back to show a path for them to take, Duo headed for it without a word. One hand making sure Hilde is still with him, the others didn't waste any time in following their black-clad member.

The path eventually ended at another smaller room which looked to have been created for comfort, Duo sighed and pulled Hilde with him over to a seat.

"Grab a seat everyone," Duo muttered as he got comfortable with Hilde on his lap, "we're going to be here awhile." "Why?" Heero asked bluntly.

"Simple 'ro, this room is the equivalent of a waiting room in an office. I haven't been in this room much as he only uses it when he is occupied with something else, which is why I said to get comfortable as we could be here for awhile." Duo explained dryly.

Quatre was the first to take his suggestion and sit down, Dorothy in the seat next to his. Together they browsed through the selection of magazines and other material on the table in front of them, Duo just sighed and wrapped his arms around Hilde as he patiently waited for Shinigami-sama to appear.

Wufei went over to lean against the wall, choosing a spot where he could see the whole room. Trowa did the same and stood not far from his fellow pilot, Kathy and Sally both choose to sit down so picked seats not far from the men.

Milliardo, on the other hand, went to sit by Duo while Lucreezia headed over to Relena and get caught up on the news. Lady Une and her ward were there already, Mariemeia perched on the chair beside her role model….Relena.

"Why do you think Shinigami-sama has called us here Duo?" Milliardo asked softly.

This surprised Duo as he honestly didn't think Milliardo Peacecraft, the Lightning Count, would be a believer in the god of death.

Milliardo saw the look Duo gave him and snorted "How else do you think I survived the destruction of the Space Battleship, luck?!?!? True, I managed to get out of there with minimal injuries but my suit was shot. Epyon hung together until he got me to safety then quit, Shinigami-sama found me shortly afterward and made sure I survived." "Why he did so, I still haven't figured out, but I'm grateful whatever the reason. Nor do I know if we're the only followers Shinigami-sama has, you were rather easy to figure out considering your title is 'Shinigami'." "I also got the feeling that he is rather amused by the idea of a human going by the title of Shinigami, at least he seemed amused to me. I could be wrong though as I haven't known him as long as you have, it's hard to say."

Duo chuckled darkly, his eyes flickering between cobalt blue and violet. Warning everyone that their friends darker side is surfacing, but not a danger….yet.

"Oh he's amused alright," Duo muttered softly, "he calls me Shinigami Jr. or S.J. for short. Something that annoys the heck out of me, but accept it as something that can't be avoided or ignored. As for what he wants with us, hard to say really. It could be anything from soul-collecting to helping the management direct the incoming souls of the dead, my favorite is soul-collecting although it is also satisfying to direct the deserving souls on to heaven and their eternal rest."

"I got to see Sister Helen and Father Maxwell again during one such trip, say everything I didn't have a chance to say as a child and endure Sister Helen's mothering one last time. I learned that they were able to watch from heaven and saw everything, which I'm not very pleased about but they forgave me and said how proud of me they were."

"Father Maxwell and Sister Helen also approved of Hilde here, which meant a lot to me. Father Maxwell even gave his blessing to our life together, I'm just sad that Hilde won't get to meet them until her time comes. They would have loved her, despite Sister Helen saying that someone needed to keep me in line since she couldn't do it anymore."

Hilde was surprised by that bit of news, blushing over the fact that two of the most important people in Duo's life approve of her being with their 'son'. She knew why Duo wanted to name their firstborn Helen, but not how important it was to him. Sister Helen was the mother-figure Duo never had, Father Maxwell….the father-figure and Solo was the big brother-figure."

Duo sobered up and became serious saying softly "I even got to meet my birth parents while there, although I wasn't given enough time to really get to know them well. I did find out that I wasn't a mistake or accident, that I was actually wanted and eagerly looked forward to, that I was actually loved by them."

This surprised Milliardo and Hilde, it showing on their faces. Both knew that Duo was an orphan and former street brat, that nothing had ever been found of his past no matter how hard their friends searched.

"They were murdered," Duo said calmly, "my parents were murdered by killers hired by Romafeller! All because they saw something they shouldn't have, you know the saying 'wrong place at the wrong time'…..that was my parents." "Dad was on his way home from work when they got him, a simple schoolteacher for the most part killed just blocks from the school he worked at. I was with mom when they came for her, she had just picked me up from the sitters and were on our way home when it happened. I was 4-5 years old back then, not knowing what was gong on or why my mom just suddenly fell and not moving."

"I don't have very clear memories of my childhood before Solo found me, but that I do remember and it created my 'Shinigami Side' or rather gave birth to it. My parents are also part of the reason why I'm so glad Hilde is pregnant again, I want to name our child after them….depending on the gender of course."

Milliardo winced at that, Duo was another victim of Romafeller's actions. An organization that gave birth to Oz, which he was a part of. He couldn't help but wonder what Duo's parents saw that made Romafeller want them dead, it had to have been something pretty important.

Hilde smiled sadly at her husband, glad that he got to meet his parents and regain the lost part of his childhood back again. For this, she will let him name their unborn child as a memorial to his deceased parents.

"What were their names?" Hilde asked softly.

Duo glanced at her briefly before he answered "My father was Samael Espiridion Khthonios and my mother was Morana Helmi Vartiter, I did some research and found out that my dad taught World Studies as a subject. My mom was a nurse at one of the homeless shelters, she was the only one for an area of 10 shelters." Milliardo inhaled sharply at the fathers name, Dr. Samael Khthonios was on the committee that had been working with the real Heero Yuy toward peace between Earth and the colonies. It's no wonder that Romafeller wanted him dead, the man had picked up the pieces left behind by Heero's assination and continued the work for peace.

Milliardo couldn't help but chuckle in amusement, eyes twinkling when he said "Well, at least we know where you get your well-deserved title of Shinigami from."

At their curious expressions, he elaborated "Samael means 'venom of god' while Morana means 'death', don't know what the rest of their names mean though. Are you going to change your last name back to your birth name now that you know what it is?"

Duo shook his head then said "No, both Maxwell and Khthonios mean a lot to me so I've decided to combine the 2. Which would make my family and I Maxwell-Khthonios or even Khthonios-Maxwell, not sure which sounds better."

"I already informed Lady Une so she could make the changes in my file, although she didn't look too good when I told her my parents name. Almost like she was going to be sick or something, she was also in a hurry to end the call but I just assumed that she had a meeting or something to leave for." Milliardo mentally snorted at that, knowing just what Lady Une would have been feeling about the news….considering how close she was to Treize. His old friend probably knew about Duo's parents and most likely had a part to play in how Duo turned out, Milliardo couldn't help but wonder what else his deceased friend had been up to that he didn't know about.

~*~

Shinigami watched from the doorway of the nursery he had added to his new punishers quarters, smiling from within the shadows of his cowl at the happy image in front of him. Minato looked good in his new outfit of black with matching coat of the same style as the one he wore in life, the flames dancing along the hems were the only color on the whole outfit.

The former Hokage stood beside the chair Kushina sat in, both were looking down at the child in her arms with smiles on their faces. Little Naruto was gurgling up at his parents while griping his mothers finger tightly, his other hand was wrapped tightly around one of his fathers special kunai. Shinigami assumed that Minato wanted his son to have one of the special Kunia as part of his heritage, Kushina simply gave Naruto a necklace with a locket in the shape of a whirlpool. The locket contained a picture of both Kushina and Minato on their wedding day, a picture of Minato with Jiraiya and surviving teammates. The next picture was one of Minato and his own gennin team, the final one was of Minato when he became Hokage.

Shinigami cleared his throat to get their attention, both looked at him and Kushina became sad while Minato just nodded his head grimly. The time had come for them to say good-bye to Naruto as his new family was here, they knew that the child couldn't stay here as they were dead but it was hard to let Naruto go. Even with the fact that they could take turns watching over their son from the afterlife, it was still difficult to send their child away.

Minato reached down and carefully picked up his son, cradling the child gently in his arms. Kushina got to her feet as well and bent down to grab the bag they had prepared of necessities for Naruto, both souls came over to where he stood at the door. Shinigami didn't like tearing apart families, being a father himself but there wasn't much he could do about it. Naruto was alive, not dead so couldn't stay here. Minato and Kushina were dead, not alive so couldn't go with him.

Shinigami left the nursery, Minato with Naruto in his arms and Kushina beside him followed the death god. Nothing was said as the group walked down the halls toward their destination, only Naruto's gurgling broke the solemn air around them.

Shinigami motioned for them to wait outside the room while he spoke to Naruto's new family, Minato and Kushina already knew who the couple were. Shinigami-sama allowed them to watch the couples lives from the time of their birth until now, reassuring both that this couple would take good care of their son.

~*~

Everyone stirred when they saw the door open and froze when the cloaked figure entered the room, no one did anything right away then Duo and Milliardo surprised them when they got to their feet. Moved toward the cloaked person and dropped down on one knee, head bowed toward the floor.

"Shinigami-sama?" Milliardo questioned.

"Why have you called us all here, I can understand why I would be summoned but not the others?" Duo finished the question started by Milliardo.

Shinigami chuckled darkly "Please son, no need to be so formal around your old man. I called you and your friends for a very special task, it is mostly for you and your wife but your friends are allowed to assist." Duo glared at the death god for the 'son' comment, but didn't say anything as he got to his feet. Already curious as to what task Shinigami-sama had for him, he had the feeling that it would be something totally unlike anything he has ever done before for the ancient being.

"Son?" Trowa queried with a quirk of his visible brow.

"Yes, son. I don't know how much Duo-kun told you but I was surprised when word reached me about a mortal who was calling himself Shinigami, so I investigated and found Duo Maxwell here. As I watched his struggles, battles and how he lived his life during wartime. I slowly became amused and intrigued by Duo-kun, enough to appear before him at the end of your war."

Duo huffed and looked at his friends crossed-eyed at their expressions of amusement, amid other emotions.

He folded his arms over his chest and muttered "Alright, so I became Shinigami-sama's adopted son for my liberties at the use of his name…..sue me! It suited the occasion at the time, you also can't deny that I was good at doing the name justice!" "Serves you right baka!" Wufei chuckled.

"Oh shut it Wuffers!" Duo snapped out, violet eyes blazing at his friend.

Shinigami-sama stepped in before a fight broke out, speaking very seriously "I also want to introduce my new punisher to my followers as they will be working together at times in the future." Now this surprised Duo and Milliardo, Duo especially as he knew his adopted father had been on the look-out for a very talented soul who had the guts and imagination to handle the job. Everyone looked toward the door when Shinigami motioned for whoever was out in the hall to come in, no one said anything as the couple entered the room.

"Duo-kun, allow me to introduce my Punisher Minato Namikaze and his wife Kushina Uzumaki. Both are recently deceased and connected to your new assignment. The bundle in Minato's arms is your actual assignment," Shinigami replied calmly, "you will see why when I show you what Minato and Kushina came from."

Hilde had come over to stand beside her husband, not saying anything as she listen to what was being said. Duo and Minato gazed at each other wary, both remained where they were until they had finished measuring the other for whatever it was that they wanted to know.

Duo replied "Well, the old man seemed to be pretty impressed with whatever you did to catch his attention. I should know since I took on the title of Shinigami or The Great Destroyer during the war, I used both almost equally."

Minato chuckled "I know, Shinigami-sama allowed my wife and I to see your life so we would be reassured our legacy is going to be in good hands. We were both very impressed by your survival and fighting skills, not to mention how well you and your fellow pilots work together as a team. As one orphan to another, I know what it's like to survive day-to-day on whatever you can scrounge up." Duo's eyes widened slightly at that bit of news then a faint smile appeared on his lips, a knowing gleam in his eyes for someone who went through almost the same thing as he did.

Minato glanced at Shinigami-sama and sighed softly, closing the distance between himself and Duo. He carefully placed the bundle in the young mans arms, gently gliding his fingertips over the tiny face peeking out of the blankets.

"His name is Naruto, please take good care of him for us. He's all we have, our legacy and joy." Minato said softly and stepped back away from Duo, putting an arm around his wife who had given Hilde the baby bag.

Now this surprised Duo and Hilde, both looking at Shinigami as if not sure they heard Minato right or not. The others were equally surprised and also curious as to why the couple had given up their son to be raised by strangers, but didn't say anything right away.

Shinigami snapped his fingers and the room disappeared around them, leaving the group standing in a totally different place. The god of death motioned for them to be quiet and watch, things would make themselves clear as they observed what he wanted to show them.

"Where are we?" Duo thought mentally.

"This is my homeland," Minato explained softly, "Fire Country in the Elemental Lands."

"I am from the land of Whirlpools, but it is lost to us. The country neighboring us destroying everything. I am the only survivor to my knowledge, nearly didn't make it to Konoha." Kushina explained just as softly.

Duo and the others watched as Minato's life unfolded in front of them, each had a different expression on their face. Quatre couldn't stop rubbing his chest, feeling his space heart reacting to what is going on around them.

They were spellbound by everything from the culture to the lifestyle to the training they went through to take on the jobs they do, Heero seemed to be especially keen on the similarities to the Japanese culture he grew up with. Wufei was very impressed by the code of honor many of these shinobi, Minato especially lived by and showed in the battles they went through.

This code of honor and sacrifice was especially apparent during the battle against the monster of a 9-tail fox, many had different reactions to Minato sealing the creature within his son but Wufei understood strangely enough. The Chinese Nobleman couldn't help but wonder if he would have been able to do the same thing should he have been in Minato's place instead, it scared him to think that he very well might have.

Once done with Minato's life, they switched over to Kushina's life and watched how the childs mother became the person she is. The women were very impressed by how Kushina dealt with Minato and other certain males in her life, they knew that kind of career wouldn't have been easy on the female species. Even Wufei kept silent about the whole 'women fighting' topic, he didn't want Kushina to go 'Red Death' all over him.

What really pissed them all off was the actions of the council afterward, each of them wanted to go there and give out some punishments - Gundam style!

Hilde and Duo immediately accepted the task of raising the child as their own, heck….Hilde looked ready to grab Wufei's sword and some of Duo's explosives then give the idiots a good dose of mother's wrath. Duo himself is radiating so much killing intent that it was literally visible to the normal eyes as a wavy violet aura around him, plus his own eyes had switch to a deep violet color which meant that Shinigami was fully awake and ready to cause some long overdue destruction.

This surprised and impressed Minato as he had never before seen 'visible' killing intent, Kushina was greatly reassured that her baby would be safe with these people and loved. She will be watching them from here though, to see how her son will develop over the years and enjoy all the adventures he would get himself into.

Wufei was itching to grab his sword and slice the council into itsy, bitsy pieces. Heero was back into Perfect Soldier mode and wanting to use the council members for target practice, nor was he the only one either. Trowa and Kathy was itching for some knife throwing practice, Kathy even had one of her daggers out and was checking the edge on it.

Quatre was on the verge of going 'zero' on those responsible. Milliardo couldn't believe how idiot those people were, wanting to kill or harm a baby simply because their fears overwhelmed them, it made him sick! His sister wasn't any better either, Relena had seen a lot of things in her life but this was the worse.

Ann Une had one arm around her ward Mariemaia, thinking of what the 17 year old had nearly become thanks to her own grandfather. If it hadn't been for Relena and Heero, Mariemaia would have probably ended up even worse than Naruto. Mariemaia was also remembering what she had narrowly avoided being turned into as well, seeing the same thing done to an innocent baby at the beginning of its life adventure brought her own experiences back and it wasn't pretty. Both then decided to be there for the child in any way that Duo and the others would let them be, although Mariemaia was hoping to become something of a big sister figure to Naruto as she had always wanted a little brother to spoil.

Shinigami, Minato and Kushina watched their reactions in mild amusement. Waiting for them to calm down before anything more was said, there wasn't a lot left to do anyway. Shinigami just had to hand over the items he collected from the village and the trunk that contained his whole library of Shinobi related subjects, this dimension wasn't the only one with Shinobi….there were others out there.

~*~

Sarutobi chuckled as he waits for Jiraiya to finish absorbing the news about Minato and Naruto, then a big grin appeared on his face and eyes gleamed in amusement before he started to roar with laughter. The Hokage himself found it very amusing as well, especially since he did some more studies of the folder on Naruto's new parents and discovered that the father is actually Shinigami's adopted son…..which makes Naruto his grandson!

The elderly man would really liked to see Minato and Kushina's enemies go after Naruto now, the child won't exactly be untouchable but mighty darn close to it. Jiraiya eventually calmed down and sat in one of the chairs in front of his desk, snickers still escaping every so often. This almost gave him an idea for another book that was not in any way connected to his porn series, maybe it might even sell too.

Sarutobi spoke up "If you want to send Little Naruto a gift, then I would suggest the book that gave him his name. I know that I plan on sending him lots of reading material just to enjoy, Shinigami-sama will provide the Shinobi reading material so we can send books and scrolls just for enjoyment factor."

Jiraiya thought about it then shrugged before he said "I might or might not, although the chances are pretty good that I will. How is the kid going to get anything we want to send him?"

Sarutobi replied "Shinigami-sama is allowing us the use of his ravens as messengers and delivery birds, which is another reason why I want to be careful not to abuse the privilege given us."

Jiraiya nodded seriously, understanding his sensei's reasons and knew it wasn't a good idea to piss off someone as powerful as the god of death. Still, the councils reaction was highly hilarious and something he would remember for years to come. After all, who could say that they personally taught someone who eventually became a Punisher for Shinigami-sama after death!

~*~

Shinigami had given Duo and Hilde the 2 trunks containing all of Naruto's things, then would have sent them on their way but Hilde suddenly asked "Do you mind if we change or add to Naruto's name?"

Naruto's parents thought about it then Minato said "We would rather that you didn't change it because of how special it is to us, the meanings are only part of our reasons. Naruto means fishcake but also maelstrom in another kanji, it was the Maelstrom meaning that we had in mind when considering a name for our child….should we ever have one."

"My other reason is because of a character in a book my sensei wrote and tried to get published but it didn't sell, Kushina and I both could relate to the main character so wanted our child to be like that person or at least hope he would be."

Duo and Hilde both understood what the deceased couple meant so decided to keep the name Naruto for their memory, although they chuckled when Minato told them what his first and last names meant. It seems that family has a thing for storms and other weather related phenomena, which will make names that would fit a challenge to find.

Shinigami sent the couple and Naruto back to their sleeping bodies, each of their remaining friends also came up to say that they will each help Duo raise the child to be the person Minato and Kushina would like him to be. They would make sure he would always remember and honor their memory, even as he grew up in the care of a new family.

Eventually Wufei was the only one left and he first bowed to them as one warrior would to another of equal or greater strength, this bow was also different because both Wufei and Minato were leaders of their respective peoples/clans. Although what Wufei did next surprised them both as neither Minato or Kushina expected it, Shinigami-sama may have known but he wasn't saying.

"I know that you are deceased and just souls now, but if there was a way for your honorable clans to exist in our world then I would have offered an alliance between the Changs, Uzumakis and Namikazes. I would have cared for them as if they were my own flesh and blood, children of Dragons." Wufei spoke formally but with slight hints to something he wouldn't come out and say, making it a test to see if they could figure out the offer hidden in the conversation.

Minato smiled, nodding slightly to let the Chinese warrior know they got the hidden offer. Both of them wanted a large family but their lives ended before they could, Kushina had to restore her clan and he wanted a large family simply because he was an orphan and didn't have any. At least not until he became a gennin and met Jiraiya-sensei who became like a father-figure to him and is now Naruto's godfather. Duo and Hilde will learn of that once they read Naruto's file, so it wasn't something they needed to worry about right at that moment.

"I agree Chang-sama, it would have been nice if our clans were able to become allies." Minato agreed with Wufei, adding "maybe in another life if Kami allows it."

Wufei nodded then bowed once more before he too vanished, sent back to his sleeping body and life as a Preventer Agent. Minato and Kushina didn't leave for their own quarters for several moments, already missing Naruto.

Shinigami spoke up suddenly "Why don't you both write up a rough draft of the alliance form and send it to Wufei Chang to examine, the alliance can still happen with Naruto despite becoming a Maxwell now." Minato looked at his wife curiously and she nodded in agreement, this alliance would give Naruto added protection from a very powerful clan of warriors. Not to mention that more benefits could come of such an alliance in the future, like a marriage or two maybe.

Shinigami waited until the couple left then vanished himself on some kind of errand, very few dared to question him except Kami himself.

Reappearing in the main room of the Chang Bank and gliding down the aisle between stored samples, stopping at an empty space in the row. Shinigami focused his power and then snapped his fingers, causing vials of eggs and sperm to appear in that space. Normally this wouldn't have drawn another glance except for what the labels said, written clearly were the names Kushina Uzumaki for the eggs and Minato Namikaze for the sperm samples.

Shinigami nodded his satisfaction and vanished again, Naruto would have more siblings and the alliance will become real in this dimension as well. The Namikaze and Uzumaki clans may die out in their home dimension but they won't here, not with people like Wufei Chang as guardien.

~*~

Moonlight shone into the dark nursery, chasing the shadows away from the toddler-size bed and its occupant. They were the only ones who saw the arrival of the baby and the toddlers sleepy reaction to the infant, Solo rolled over toward the baby and lay one arm on the child. The 3 year old small body curled protectively around his new 'little brother', letting everyone know that they will have a fight on their hands if they tried to separate them.

* * *

**Nobuyuki** - "faithful happiness."

**Espiridion** - Spanish form of Greek Spiridion, meaning "little spirit."

**Helmi** - Finnish name meaning "pearl."

**Khthonios** (Χθόνιος) - Greek name derived from the word _khthonios_, meaning "of the earth (especially the inner earth, i.e. underworld)." In mythology, this is an epithet applied to Hermes and Zeus. It is the masculine form of Khthonia.

**Vartiter**: Armenian name meaning "rose-butterfly."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not, have not and never will own Harry Potter, Gundam Wing and Naruto. Those belong to their respective creators, I am just a fan of certain characters in the shows and want to have fun.

Yes, this will also be a crossover between Harry Potterverse as well as Gundam Wing and Naruto if I can get it to work. Except Harry Potterverse won't exactly come into the story until either next chapter or maybe a few after that, hard to say for sure.

**Apologies: **Sorry for taking so long in getting this chapter typed up and posted, it took me longer than expected to get over my cold and then the laryngitis after that. Not to mention I had choir performances to attend and prepare for, so that took my attention since I needed to baby my voice and make sure I didn't loose it before the performances came up. Never ever get Laryngitis before major performances if you are in a choir or doing any singing that requires you to be at your best, it is not fun…..not at all!!!

Hope everyone enjoys this chapter and forgives me for taking so long, the next chapter won't be started on paper until after the Christmas Holidays although I am going to try and do some writing while home at my parents place but we'll see how things go.

Have fun and Merry Christmas to all my readers, hope your new year will be just as good or better than the past year.

**Child of the Death god**

Chapter 1

By

Phoenix Firestorm

The early morning sunlight filled the room, reaching out to the occupants in the bed. Neither adult moved right away, not wanting to wake up yet. Eventually though, a combination of their bladders protesting and the sun shining in their eyes got them moving.

Duo grumbled as he rolled over and threw one arm over his eyes in an effort to block out the sun, laying there half awake as he listen to Hilde get out of bed and hurry to the bathroom. It wasn't until he heard the door to the nursery open that Duo moved his arm enough to see who it was, not surprised at all to see Solo. What did get his attention is the cloth-wrapped bundle held carefully in Solo's short arms, Duo watched, curious as his son came over to the bed.

"What do you have there squirt?" He asked sleepily.

"Baby!" Solo replied calmly.

"Baby," Duo thought sleepily, "what baby?"

His eyes suddenly widened and he inhaled sharply as the fog of sleep left his mind, causing him to remember everything from last night after they went to bed. Duo quickly sat up and moved closer to the side of the bed, reached down and lifted his children up onto the mattress. Solo snuggled against his father's chest with the baby on his own lap, enjoying the few moments they had together before the rest of the family made an appearance.

"What's babies name, papa?" Solo finally asked as he gazed down at the infant in his lap.

"D.J.," Duo said automatically, "it's short for Duo Junior but I'm not sure your mother will let me get away with that. So it may just be a nickname instead, we will have to see."

Solo tilted his head to one side thoughtfully then pointed to himself as he said "Solo!"

The finger then moved down to the baby and Solo said "Duo!"

"Solo and Duo!" the 3 year old exclaimed in a final tone of voice, childish glee in his voice and face.

Duo chuckled "Yes kid, Solo and Duo. D.J. is your new little brother, your mother and I wanted to surprise everyone when we brought him home from the orphanage. So do you think you can be a good big brother for D.J., hmmm Solo?"

Solo chirped "Yep, I be bestest big brother ever!"

Duo laughed in amusement, waking up the newest member of the family in the process. Hilde also came out of the bathroom at that time and smiled when she heard her families happy laughter, although hey eyes widened some when she saw the baby with them. Which meant that what happened last night was real and not a dream, their family had just gotten a new member.

Solo was the first to see his mother and quickly got her attention when he called out "Look mama, got new brother!"

Hilde chuckled as she came to the bed and joined her family, saying "So you have, has your father told you anything about your little brother yet…..like a name?"

"Yep," Solo chirped happily, "brother's name is D.J. but papa says that you might not like it."

"Oh, why did he say that?" Hilde asked curiously.

"D.J. short for Duo Junior," Solo answered cutely, "I like that name."

"Oh really," Hilde replied archly as she glanced at her husband who blushed uneasily, "I'm glad you like the name too." Duo quickly spoke up "D.J. can also mean Douglas Junior, I forgot to tell everyone last night that I also found out my birth name. It's Douglas Anthony, so if you don't want another Duo running around then we can use that one, I don't plan on ever using it again unless it is business or an emergency."

Hilde looked at him in surprise then thought about it, she didn't mind more than one Duo in the family but using her husbands birth name would help keep them straight. She snuggled closer to Duo and put an arm around him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Officially and on paper his name will be Douglas Naruto Anthony, Duo Junior can be used for everyday use. How does that sound honey?" She finally said.

"Great," Duo crowed, "thanks babe!" as he hugged her carefully.

Duo then tuned his attention back to D.J. and said "Well Douglas Naruto Anthony Uzumaki-Khthonios-Maxwell, welcome to your new family."

The newly named baby gazed up at the faces of his new family curiously, blinking several times as he studied each one. Causing smiles to appear on their faces when he giggled and reached up with his arms toward them. Hilde just melted after that, cooing softly at her new son as she began playing with D.J.

Duo just relaxed and watched his family bond with the newest member, glancing at the time and knew that Helen would be joining them soon. His eldest child tended to sleep in whenever there wasn't any reason for her to get up at the normal time, which would be her morning chores around the scrap yard then school. Both of his kids loved being in the scrap yard with him, rooting around to see what treasures they could find. The only time Helen wasn't in the scrap yard is when Meilan came for a visit or spending time at the circus with Aunt Kathy and Uncle Trowa, although to be honest Solo was the one who inherited his 'scavenger' instinct more than Helen.

Duo had a vague feeling that he knew what Solo would be doing with his life and it involved the Sweepers, which he didn't mind any as the large group had become something of another family to him over the years. This also meant that he would know where his kids wanted to go for their summer breaks after they started school, Helen to the circus and Solo off to the Sweepers Space Branch.

Speaking of kids education, Duo needed to get information on that school in Sanc Relena went too. Both he and Hilde agreed that any kids they had would need to know what to do when dealing with important people, which meant attending a posh school like the nobility and etc usually went to. Duo is pretty sure that it was called Saint Gabriel's Institute since Heero and Quatre attended it during the war times, not sure about Trowa though. Either way, if the kids could get into the school then they will have Relena close by if something came up.

Duo kept thinking over the plans he and Hilde made for the kids, keeping in mind that they aren't set in stone and bound to change as the kids grew up. He also started to think about what he learned last night from Shinigami-sama and Naruto's birth parents, a schedule of some sort will have to be made for D.J. so he'll be ready when the time came to go back there. Duo knew from the others reactions that his son may be overtrained, nor would he return alone either since one or two of them will most likely return with him.

~*~

Wufei slowly opened his eyes and gradually came out of his meditation trance, something he did every morning after he got up and before bed each night. The Chinese nobleman didn't move for several moments, content to enjoy the peace and quiet out on the balcony attached to his quarters.

Wufei did turn his head slightly when he caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye, frowning when he saw a rather large raven observing him from the railing. Wufei and the raven gazed at each other for several moments then the large bird spread its wings, hopped off its perch and glided down to land in front of him.

It was only then that Wufei noticed the level of intelligence in the birds eyes and knew this is no normal bird, he also saw the harness it wore and the metal tube attached. Knowing right away that this was a messenger bird and had something for him, Wufei couldn't help but be curious as to what it is and who would use this method to deliver messages.

The Chang Heir carefully removed the metal tube, thanking the raven afterward. Wufei would have gotten up right then but froze when he saw the crest on the tube, recognizing it as the one he saw last night during that strange dream which really isn't a dream.

Wufei gazed down at the tube uncertainly, not sure whether to open it or not. Nor was he sure what Shinigami wanted from him, if it is indeed from the Death god. Time seem to crawl by as he thought about what to do, the raven soon made the decision for him when it reached out and carefully twisted the lid off with its beak. Wufei chuckled at that and quickly pulled himself together, reaching into the tube and removing a thick roll of paper. He carefully unrolled the bundle and scanned the first page, which was a letter from Shinigami himself.

Wufei felt his eye brows slowly go up as he read the letter again, then a satisfied smirk appeared on his lips as he moved the letter to the back of the pile. Looks like he will have to make a short trip to the Chang Bank and check on the additions added to it by the Shinigami, he also had to sit down and figure out the legalities of the 2 new clans suddenly coming into existence under the Chang Protective Banner.

It wasn't until he glanced at the next page that Wufei froze and stared at what he held in shock, realizing moments later it is actually a rough draft of an alliance contract. Something that meant the Chang Clan is gaining another ally, entering the spotlight again.

Wufei got to his feet this time and headed for the balcony door, only pausing long enough for the raven to follow him in. He assumed that the bird will stay until an answer is ready for it to take back, all Wufei really knew is that he and Quatre are going to be kept pretty busy in the coming days, nor is he in any hurry to be done properly and everything researched, studied and examined to make sure neither party got insulted, cheated and etc.

Quite the challenge as Wufei will have to dust off the childhood memories that contain the knowledge on alliances he needed for this, he will also have to consult the few precious books he had managed to track down and obtain over the years. Not to mention discuss this with the others, including Relena.

Wufei continued with his thoughts as he walked across the floor to his attached office, something each of them had included in their suites. The young man did pause long enough at the nursery to check on his son, smiling faintly when he saw that the infant is still sleeping. Wufei carefully stepped back, taking care not to wake the infant. Leaving the nursery and continuing on to his office, Sally will be up soon to look after the kids so he can focus his attention on clan business.

~*~

Duo laughed as he watched Helen and her best friend coo over D.J., the infant soaking up the attention good-naturally. Doing very little fussing or crying, which made Duo more than a little relieved. Both girls immediately fell in love with the newest member of the Maxwell Family the moment they entered the room and saw him, climbing onto the bed to play with D.J.

Hilde and he took the opportunity to get dressed, not taking long as not very many plans had been made for today. This was also when they discovered the baby bag and 2 trunks that D.J.'s birth parents gave them last night, so Hilde took the baby bag with her when she left the closest again. Planning on seeing what was inside for D.J. and if anything had to be gotten again from the stores, the trunks were left for Duo to deal with as they had stuff in them that dealt on his heritage. Duo just left them in the closest for now, planning on dealing with them later on in the day.

While the girls were playing with D.J., Solo was helping his mother empty the baby bag as they sat on the carpet. The bag contained the necessities in baby care, albeit under different labels that they were use to seeing. There was also several changes of clothes for every season and weather, diapers and blankets, a few baby toys and a couple tapes of soothing music for D.J. to listen too. Something Duo was familiar with as Quatre and Trowa had been giving the children tapes of music for years, recording their own playing to share with others.

Both of his 'brothers' enjoyed music and their chosen instruments, Quatre the violin and numerous others while Trowa the flute of various types. Playing it to help them relax at the end of a busy day, they had even composed a few pieces when such things came to them. Again, it was mostly Quatre who did the composing although Trowa had done a few as well. Duo didn't know if the others played an instrument or not, he himself played the guitar as it was something he picked up from the Sweepers.

Duo focused his attention back on his family, noticing that the girls and D.J. were on the floor next to Hilde. Apparently Hilde made the decision to give D.J. a check over as she is removing his clothes, checking the diaper and etc. Again, something D.J. accepted quietly. Although the infant seem to be busy looking around to really notice what Hilde is doing, curiosity in his intensely rich blue eyes.

Helen and Meilan were busy checking out the clothes that came out of the baby bag, he chuckled when he saw that they had matched up each piece to make complete outfits. Duo gave a mental shudder though as he knew how they would react when the stuff in the trunk came out, he loved his daughter and niece dearly but they scared the shit out of him when they started to act the girls both are.

Finally he spoke up "Alright kids, time to scoot back to your rooms and get dressed. We need to make an appearance at breakfast and introduce D.J. to the rest of the family."

Helen and Meilan pouted for a moment then sighed, getting to their feet and heading for the door. There will be plenty of time to play with and get to know D.J. later on, already ideas were entering their heads on what to do with her baby brother/cousin. Solo only stayed long enough to give his baby brother a loose hug and kiss on the forehead, then got to his feet and darted toward the nursery door.

Duo chuckled as he gathered up the papers scattered over the bed, having taken them from the envelope Shinigami gave him last night. Discovering that it contain information on D.J., more than they had been told like D.J's birth certificate and etc. The envelope also had a thick portfolio on all the businesses, properties and finances D.J.'s birth parents owned or invested in. Something that Duo planned to pass onto Quatre as the blond Arabian is the business genius among them, his 'brother' will be able to straighten everything out and keep an eye on it while he worked his magic.

Once Duo had everything put back into the envelope again, keeping out the business portfolio and letters from the leaders of D.J.'s birth country. He plan on reading them while he ate breakfast, Hilde will probably read each after him. The 2 letters for D.J. will be kept in a safe place and given to him once old enough to understand, either that or before he went back there after his eleventh birthday.

Hilde got to her feet as well, D.J. held comfortably in one arm. She moved over to the door and waited for Duo to join her, which he did shortly with the thick portfolio held under one arm. Together they left the room and headed down the hall to the stairs, joined shortly by Sally with Nataku and the rest of the kids.

Sally raised one eyebrow at the infant in Hilde's arms but didn't say anything, knowing that everyone would be told when the time came. The kids trotted ahead of the 3 adults, chattering as they went. Solo was the only one to stay behind, preferring to walk with the adults.

Duo finally said "His name is D.J., short for Douglas Naruto Anthony. We adopted him last night as a surprise for the kids, which was successful."

Sally's eyes widened at the name 'Naruto', knowing that what happen last night is true but she went along with the story Duo and Hilde came up with.

Hilde spoke up "After breakfast Sally, would you be able to give D.J. a complete examination? We would like a second opinion than what the orphanage gave us, we trust you to tell us if anything is wrong."

Sally was surprised at this and took a few moments to answer, eventually saying "Of course Hilde, Duo. I think Quatre has a fully stocked medical room here, so we don't have to go elsewhere."

She paused briefly then said "Douglas is a very good first name for the child, so is Anthony. Although at first, I thought you would name him Duo Junior, one Duo is enough please and thank you?"

"Hey….Sal!!!" Duo cried out and sounded very insulted.

Hilde laughed "Sorry to disappoint you Sally, but that is D.J.'s nickname. Duo found out his birth name and gave it to D.J. Douglas Anthony is Duo's real name, he just forgot to tell us last night. Besides, I could tell how much he really wanted to name our new son Duo Junior so I let him. It wasn't going to hurt any and we can always call D.J. Doug instead, D.J. will also stand for Douglas Junior too which is true."

Sally flushed a little at that and apologized to Duo, then said sincerely "I'm glad that you found out a little more of your lost past, I meant what I said in that it is a good name. You do have to understand Duo that your name is rather notorious and the reputation you gained as a prankster, demolitions expert, scavenger and etc. So the thought of a mini-Duo running around is more than a little unsettling, almost scary."

Duo blushed at that and had to agree with her from their point of view, he did gain a rather notorious reputation over his life….more so than his 'brothers'. Still, it didn't mean that he is going to turn his son into a mini-clone of himself. A part of him mentally snorted and thought privately 'Yeah right, I sure am going to try!' Almost immediately a mental image of himself with little horns and a tail appeared in his head, rubbing both hands together slowly as he laughed wickedly.

Hilde and Sally continued to talk among themselves as they walked toward the breakfast room, Duo was busy thinking of all the fun things he could teach D.J., something that would make everyone around him wary if they had any idea on what the future is bringing. The group entered the breakfast room to see everyone but Wufei already there, the kids chattering to their aunts and uncles in excitement.

Although conversation grounded to a halt when they saw the infant in Hilde's arms, having realized that what happened last night is very real by the expressions on their faces. Hilde introduced D.J. to everyone and the guys just rolled their eyes as the girls immediately crowded around to coo over the infant, Duo looked around and saw that Wufei wasn't here yet.

Trowa saw this and spoke up "Wufei is eating in his study, something clan-related came up that he needed to deal with."

Duo replied "Wonder what it could be, hope nothing has gone wrong with the rebuilding of his clan?"

"If anything has then I'm sure we would hear about it fast enough, even from wherever we are in the house. Wufei has the type of voice that can be heard nearly everywhere, you know that from experience Duo." Quatre's voice drifted over from where he sat.

"True Q-man, very true. Also before I forget and you disappear after breakfast, I need your help with D.J.'s inheritance from his birth parents. You're the business whiz among us, I'm doing okay with the scrap yard and easily understand mechanics but I can't make money appear without even trying."

Quatre blushed brightly at the praise and accepted it good-naturally, having gotten use to such things from them over the years. The others either smiled or chuckled in amusement, knowing that it is all very true.

"Sure Duo, I'll do what I can for your new son. I'm glad he got here safely and nothing went wrong." Quatre answered, "so you named him D.J.? What does it stand for, Duo Junior or something else?"

Duo sat down in his chair and explained everything, including the story Hilde and he came up with to go by. Everyone agreed with it so far, knowing that more can be added and adjusted as time went by. Duo could tell that his 'brothers' are happy that he rediscovered his birth name, that he has slowly regained what the wars took from him,

"Hilde has asked Sally to give D.J. a full examination to make sure nothing is wrong and start a file on him," Duo spoke up between bites of his food, "so they will be doing that after breakfast. While that is going on, I though the rest of us could get started on tentative plans for his education. Not to mention the training in preparation for his Shinobi heritage, deciding who is going to teach what will be a great help. Another thing Relena, could you give Hilde and I the information on that school you went to. It was called Saint Gabriel's Institute….right, we are thinking of sending our kids there as they get old enough. Besides which, you and several other trustworthy people will be close by in case something happens."

Relena was surprised by this and pleased that Duo and Hilde would think of her as trustworthy enough to keep an eye on their kids, she wondered if the others has plans to send their kids there as well. If so then security will need to be adjusted to suit the standards of the G-boys.

"Wufei is thinking of sending our kids there too, he says that it is the best out of all the ones he looked at. The only thing he didn't like is that there is no cultural classes, the kids are Chinese and he doesn't want them to loose their heritage."

"Although he is planning on teaching them what he can during the times he isn't on a mission or stuck at the office, but the kids will be in a boarding school and might forget either some or all while there." Sally spoke up moments later.

This surprised the others and had to agree that it made sense once they thought things over, Relena especially as she never thought about it from their point of view. It was the one bad thing about the whole one nation viewpoint, so much culture, history and traditions would be lost in the process.

Relena replied thoughtfully "I'm sorry Sally, I never thought of the other cultures. All my focus has been on peace and making sure it lasts, not letting things go so long that another war breaks out."

"I'll see what I can do about that, maybe not do it myself once a program has been put together to the satisfaction of everyone involved. It will need someone else to look after it while I am busy with other duties, which may be all the time if everyone has their way."

"Don't blame yourself Relena and stop trying to do everything on your own, you have friends and others to help. Remember there is the Preventers, us and many others." Trowa reminded her calmly.

"Yes Relena, you do have family and friends to help out. Besides, I believe I can provide you some help in the cultural classes. Especially the Arabian and Egyptian classes. Some of my sisters are at loose ends right now and could use something to keep them occupied." Quatre offered.

"Really Q-man, are they bothering you that much or is it just certain ones." Duo teased his brother.

Quatre flushed again then said uneasily "Somewhat, I have very little trouble with the sisters close to my age….but the older ones have begun to become more than a normal pain now."

""Oh, what is it now Quatre?" Kathy asked curiously.

"They have been after me since forever to marry and began parading endless ladies by me," Quatre sighed tiredly, "so of curse when I do made a decision that wasn't one of the ladies shown me…they don't like it and won't leave me alone about it!"

"You mean….?" Duo started to say and stopped.

"Yes, I finally popped the question to Dorothy and she accepted. The older sisters don't like her and she doesn't like them, but the younger ones love her. Which means things have been very tense whenever she visits, although sometimes I think she comes over just to get into arguments with them. She does have a rather sharp tongue and knows how to bring out the best or worse in people, not to mention put them in their places." Quatre muttered but had a faint smile on his face.

"About time Quatre," Relena replied tartly, "the two of you have been dating since that skirmish with Barton. Which was 4 years ago, people were beginning to wonder what is going on between the 2 of you?"

"It was bound to happen eventually," Heero muttered, "only think is that it happened sooner rather than later. Congratulations Quatre, when is the lucky day?"

"Thanks Heero," Quatre answered with a smile, "as for the actual date of the wedding…it is unfortunately one of the things my sisters and Dorothy can't agree on. Personally, I'll agree with most of what Dorothy wants since it is her wedding and I want her to be happy. I've got most of my own tasks done, what isn't is easily solved by all of you. I'm hopping that my 'brothers' will be my best men and stand by my side, I've already asked Anne if she could help out with the security. Between the Preventers, the Maganac Corps and you Heero. Hopefully things will be secure enough that nothing goes wrong, Allah willing!!!"

"Of course Quatre, we will all do our part with the security." Duo exclaimed excitedly.

"We will also be honoured to be your best men." Heero answered gruffly.

Quatre turned to Relena and asked "Relena, how are the repairs to the Sanc Palace coming? I know that you started to restore it not long after the Barton Incident, do you have any idea on when it will be done?"

Relena thought for a moment then said "I'm not really the person to ask Quatre, I didn't start that project. Milliardo is the one who began the Palace Restoration Project, at least organized it all so I could look after it for him while he takes care of the Mars Project for me."

"The palace and property means more to him than me, I may have been born there but I don't remember any of it. Milliardo says I was too young when the attack came, not even a year old. So I signed over the entire property to him since I didn't want it at least this way it stays in the family and becomes a historical landmark to be preserved. I believe Milliardo is going to allow tours into parts of the palace and grounds while the rest will be close off to the public and only family, all of us here included, into those areas."

"It's the same with the rest of the Peacecraft properties and etc, Pagan sat down with us after he retrieved certain documents from the palace and went over everything. We divided all of it up between the 2 of us, the ones I kept were changed to Peacecraft-Darlian while Milliardo didn't do much of anything to his. Pagan did travel to each one and see what condition they were in then make lists on what had to be done to get them presentable and habitable, not to mention give an opinion of whether it was worth it not."

"Milliardo wants place where he, Noin and their family can stay without being noticed. My brother doesn't want anyone to know that he is even alive because of his part in the war, I told him he is being ridiculous but Milliardo is stubbornly resistant to everything I or Noin try." Relena sounded very frustrated with her older brother.

"No, he says it is better for Milliardo Peacecraft and Zechs Merquise to disappear for good. Which is the main reason why he went to Mars and took charge of the Colonization Project for me, but Milliardo doesn't want to deny his children a chance to grow up on Earth or see Sanc as he saw it before the attack and deaths of our parents."

"He's not the only one Relena who has reason to vanish, each of us G-Pilots did horrible things during the war. Milliardo's only fault is that he has been in the war longer than all of us, ever since Sanc was first attacked. Although Milliardo certainly has more reason to vanish out of all existence than all of us, which may be next to impossible considering how many times he has come back from the dead." Quatre replied softly.

"I suspect that if each of us didn't have anyone to go back too or a stable life to reenter again, we would have chosen to fade away into the history books until the time for us to leave this life altogether comes. My stable life has always been the circus and Kathy, I knew I could always go back and be welcomed." Trowa spoke calmly, his one visible eye focused on his sister.

"Despite how annoying they can be, I do love my sisters. I also loved my father while he was alive, we had our fights and differences but nearly every family has those. I made my peace with his memory and have moved on, taking over the family business and adding the sharp-tongued Dorothy to my life." Quatre added.

"I know what you mean, if my scrap yard ever failed then I would have joined my buddies in the Sweeper Group. Either the Space Branch or the Planetary Branch, Howard said Hilde and I were welcomed in both." Duo replied absently.

"Wufei has his work in the Preventers to help him," Sally answered, "we weren't sure it would be enough but he seems to have settle down more with the rediscovery of the Chang Bank and rebuilding of his clan slowly."

They all looked at Heero who sighed "I only need the 5 of you in my life, anyone else is a hindrance."

Helen chimed "Not true Uncle Heero, you like having us around!"

Heero just flushed uncomfortably and shifted in his seat uneasily, then focused on his breakfast again. The other pilots and the girls snorted or chuckled in amusement at the Perfect Soldier being conquered by little children.

Quatre went back to the reason why he asked Relena about the Peacecraft Palace, saying "The reason why I wanted to know Relena is that Dorothy and I want to have our wedding to be in a place that means something to us, it took some discussion with the lists we made but eventually decided that the Peacecraft Palace would suit best. IF it can be restored in time and we get permission from the owners, which would be you and Milliardo."

Relena exclaimed "Oh that would be a lovely place to have a wedding, especially the gardens if the weather cooperates. I've heard so much about the palace gardens from mother, Pagan and the others who were around during that time. If you like, I can ask Milliardo about it when I go there after my little vacation here. Nor do I think he will mind any Quatre, in fact he may even be pleased. Milliardo told me once that the gardens were moms pride and joy, nothing like them could be found anywhere else in the world. Mother had a few pictures of them as well but she never told me anything about them, I guess it was to protect me should the Alliance or Oz ever find out."

Duo suddenly spoke up in a puzzled voice "Relena, correct me if I heard wrong but did you say that Milliardo has a family now…other than you that is?"

"No, you heard right about my brother. It seems that Cupid is getting around as Milliardo finally bit the bullet and popped the question at Lucreezia, so now another wedding is on the horizon. The only difference is that my brother and Lu want a small simple ceremony on Mars…sort of celebrating the fact that they will be legal citizens of Mars after this. The same with any kids born on the colony, something that is both feared because of the problems it could cause for such young lives and eagerly looked forward too."

"Milliardo had plans to take Lucreezia's last name instead of what is usually done, but Lu shot that plan down and bluntly told him to choose between Peacecraft or Merquis because that is who's name she will have in the end. Not Mr. Noin, but Mr. Peacecraft or Mr. Merquis. I haven't heard what his answer would be though, I hope Milliardo will stick to his birth name."

"Wouldn't he be 'His Highness Prince Milliardo Peacecraft, not Mr. Peacecraft'?" Hilde asked curiously as her husband was still in shock over the news.

"Yes he is since he only gave up his rights to the throne, now the actual title of prince. Except Milliardo doesn't use the title anymore, he says that it has no meaning or worth to him and is a reminder of what he lost as child. Although he can't get rid of it legally, the Peacecrafts have been royalty for generations or at least as far back as anyone still alive can remember. It is a part of who we are and our heritage, besides…I'm not letting him escape that mess if I can't myself!!!" Relena explained somewhat in an annoyed voice, still not sure how she got saddled with the title and position of 'Princess of Sanc' again even though that is her heritage and birthright as a Peacecraft.

Relena just hoped that no one in the Unified Nations Council got the idea to make her 'Queen of Earth' again, she will put her foot down and do her best to squash that idea should it ever resurface.

Everyone laughed at that and quickly finished their breakfast, Sally and Hilde took D.J. off to his examination elsewhere in Quatre's huge manor. The rest of the girls took the kids outside to play until lunch, only Relena stayed behind since she was needed for the plans about D.J. The G-boys and Relena left the breakfast room, heading toward Duo and Hilde's joint office since they are going to need the trunks.

Once settled into Duo's office, he gave Quatre the business portfolio that came with D.J. while he and Heero went to bring in the 2 trunks. Quatre focused on the papers within the portfolio, sorting everything out on the table in front of him and making notes in a pad of paper.

Good thing he learned Japanese or he would have had trouble, although Quatre knew he will still need some assistance as a few of the words didn't match up with what he learned. Most of it is understandable but there are parts that Quatre is unsure about, he would also like to go there personally if it is possible.

The blond Arabian has learned over time that it is better to do all business in person rather than work via numerous other people, this way he got a chance to examine everything closely to see if it was legal and isn't being cheated or conned.

Duo and Heero soon came back with one of the trunks, setting it down on the floor away from everything so there won't be any accidents. Once done, Heero returned to his seat while Duo knelt down in front of the trunk. Pulling out one of the keys he found, Duo set about unlocking the trunk. The other trunk had stuff for D.J. in it, clothes and other things. Which, by the looks of what they saw, appeared to be all handmade. Making it something to be treasured since stuff like that took a lot of time to make and quite irreplaceable if it got damaged, Duo knew that this stuff can't be gotten at a store.

He lifted up the lid and glanced in, smiling when Duo saw that he is right. This trunk had all the things necessary for D.J.'s growth and development, both as a child and future ninja. As Duo examined the trunks contents, he discovered that the piece of luggage had more than one compartment and each one seem to be endless. One compartment appeared to be the library, something that they will have to look at later on. The second compartment surprised him though as it looked to be some kind of armoury, Duo got the others attention and they came over to see what is going on.

"What did you find Duo?" Quatre asked curiously.

Duo motioned for them to follow him as he stepped back into the trunk and then disappeared, shocking them. It wasn't until Duo called up to see what they were up too, that they followed their friend/brother into the trunk.

Although they came to a stop once they saw what got Duo's attention and all of them thought it was an armoury as well, but Trowa's keen eye spotted the difference. There wasn't a modern 'futuristic' weapon in that room, there were only knives and other weapons or tools.

Trowa spoke up as he walked over to one of the knives displayed on the wall "These aren't real weapons, still dangerous though."

"What do you mean Trowa?" Relena asked curiously.

"They're too light, there's no edge on the blades and the point has been blunted. My guess is that these are training weapons only, there is even several scrolls with each one which probably explains how to use and even make more if needed." Trowa explained and picked up the knife to show them.

The others looked around and saw that he was right, the weapons on this wall didn't look real at all. Duo tested one of the other blades out and discovered that they were out of a nearly indestructible type of wood, which made sense for training weapons. Blade weren't the only type of weapons there, but Duo was the only one who had any idea on how to use them.

The next wall had other stuff that no doubt proved necessary for D.J.'s training and again, Duo was the one who recognized most of it. Different kinds of fake bombs, smoke, gas and etc. Weights could be seen carefully stacked on the bottom shelf, reinforced gloves of various sizes, colors and styles were also there.

The 3rd wall had shelves of clothes, again of different sizes and colors. Wufei would have a hayday down here, that's for sure. The Chinese nobleman was the only one in their group who had any kind of actual martial arts training, Duo was the second but his was made out of whatever he picked up on the streets and the Sweepers taught him.

Heero spoke up "This isn't going to be enough for D.J.'s training, he will go through these faster than Duo can pick a lock. We will have to make more and stockpile for when the physical part of his training begins."

"I agree Heero," Duo added as he examined the contents with a critical eye born from being on the streets, but I doubt that we have the wood needed to make more. Although I can't really say for sure, I don't know much about wood except that it burns and can be carved into many things." Quatre picked up a scimitar and examined it closely then checked out the scrolls beside it, realizing Trowa was right in that the scrolls were training and crafting ones.

Finally the blond Arabian spoke up "I can take one of the blades and get it examined to see what kind of wood it is made of, then go through my contacts and try to get more if the wood actually exists on our Earth. If not, then I'll put my science team to work and try to find a replacement for it."

Each one looked at the other to see if they were in agreement which everyone was, then Quatre packed up the scimitar and the scroll that told how to make them. Once the room had been examined closely, the group returned to the stairs that lead into the trunk and started up them again. Leaving the equipment room and its contents until next time, stepping out of the trunk and into the study just as the door opened to let in Wufei.

The Chinese nobleman stood there silently and blinked when he saw his brothers climb out of a trunk, trying to make sense of it then dismissing it as one of those unexplainable things. Besides, he recognized the trunk as one of the ones that Shinigami-sama gave Duo last night for the kid.

"Wufei," Duo called out excitedly, "you have got to see the training equipment in the trunk for D.J. to use later! Come on, I'll show you and I can promise that you will either flip or won't want to leave!"

Wufei snorted "I doubt that Duo, but experience tells me anything is possible when you are involved! I need to talk to Relena and Quatre first, then you can show me whatever you found."

Duo crossed his arms and pouted at that, but his eyes sparkled with amusement. Both Relena and Quatre looked at him curiously, wondering what he had to talk to them about.

Wufei went over and showed them both what the raven who had followed him into the room and is now perched on the back of a chair, brought him from the childs birth father. The 2 high-profile people took turns reading the letter from Shinigami then the draft alliance contract from Minato before anything more was said, Wufei got filled in on the news about D.J. and the story being created to explain his existence.

He knew just from all the time spent around the braided destroyer that Duo would probably name the child after himself, if he could get away with it from Hilde. So Wufei wasn't very surprised by what D.J. meant, he was rather surprised and pleased for Duo when told why D.J. got the name given to him. Surprised at the connection to Duo and pleased that his 'brother' found another piece to a lost past taken by the war, Wufei congratulated Duo on it too.

"I was wondering why you were so long returning last night Wufei," Quatre chuckled, "this is what you were up too. Of course I'll help you out to the best of my ability, though I'm not sure what all I could do?"

"It is a good idea Wufei," Relena replied thoughtfully, "alliances with other people and clans would do D.J. a lot of good. We just have to be careful who gets picked for those alliances, something we have to give a lot of thought too."

"I can't speak for the Peacecraft family as my brother is the head of our little group, but I can talk it over with my mother and see what she thinks of a Darlian alliance with the 2 new clans. If she agrees, then I can get started on an alliance contract with them as well but it will be up to mother first."

"If you want to Wufei, we can discuss this with Milliardo when we go to Mars for the inspection of the colony. He may agree to an alliance contract as well, hard to be sure though. I may have been born a Peacecraft but I was raised a Darlian, so think of myself as one. Milliardo will be the one to continue on the Peacecraft line and name, not me."

"I agree with Relena in that the alliance is a good idea," Quatre mused absently as he thought the idea over more, "I think I will do the same after discussing it over with Dorothy and my sisters….or rather however many of my sisters that I can get ahold of. They all have their own careers and lives, so it can be difficult for them to get away for a family gathering."

"Understood Quatre," Wufei replied thoughtfully, "although there is no hurry. This is my first alliance contract that I have put together myself, I've learned about them in my studies and read several that had been in the clan records. Something that Master O surprised me by saving before the colonies destruction, I found the entire clan library and other treasures in the clan bank."

"Either way, I am going to have to do my research and refresh my memories. I also suspect that the alliance contract I write up for the Chang Clan will be going through several revisions, which just means I will need to take my time."

Quatre nodded in agreement then took the draft contract and letter over to the table he had his work on, setting them down with the other paperwork. Relena joined him as well but she had her own notepad that she scribbled notes into, mostly what she could do for D.J.'s training and the possible alliance between the 3 clans. Namikaze, Uzumaki and Darlian.

Wufei finally gave in to Duo's whining and went to see what his braided baka of a brother had been talking about in the trunk, only to have the braided destroyer be proven right about his reaction.

* * *

Uzumaki Clan Alliances - Chang Clan, Peacecraft Family, Raberba Winner Clan and Darlian Family so far.

Namikaze Clan Alliances - Chang Clan, Peacecraft Family, Raberba Winner Clan and Darlian Family so far.

* * *

Clans under the protection/guardianship of the Chang Clan

Uzumaki Clan

Namikaze Clan.

Long Clan.

* * *

Marriage Contracts between D.J. and another family/clan. There will be only 6 marriage contracts as I didn't want to overdo it, the others will be mentioned as the story goes along.

1) Chang Clan

2) Raberba Winner Clan

3) Peacecraft Family

So far, more will be coming

* * *

I will add the family of each pilot at the end of each chapter, kids and all.

This is Duo's family and I don't really plan on him having any more kids than these for now. The last two are a pair of twins which haven't been born yet, but are mentioned in the story as Hilde's latest pregnancy.

Duo Anthony Khthonios-Maxwell -m- Hilde Schbeiker

Ch: Helen Rosalba Elizabeth

Solomon Roi Alexander (Solo)

Douglas Naruto Anthony (Duo Jr.)

Samael Espiridion

Morana Helmi

* * *

D.J.'s teachers to prepare him for his return to the Shinobi lands

Duo - stealth, engineering, thieving,

Heero - personal combat, explosives, computer hacking

Trowa - acrobatics, tactical and combat skills

Wufei - martial arts, swordskills, code of honor

Quatre -

Relena -

Milliardo - cunning

Maganac Corps -

More may be added later on.


End file.
